Origins: Musi’s heir
Southern Ndebele history begins, in the published accounts, with a king named Musi, whose home was at KwaMnyamana, near Wonderboompoort north of Pretoria. Accounts disagree on how many sons he had. South African History Online lists five (Manala, Masombuka, Ndzundza, Mathombeni and Dhlomu), while a government commission’s determination lists eight (Manala, Ndzundza, Masombuka, Dlomo, Skosana, Mhwaduba, Mphaphuli and Mthombeni).
Both agree that Manala was the son of Musi’s great wife, which under Ndebele custom made him the rightful heir. After Musi’s death the sons quarrelled and the people split. The commission’s account says battles over the succession were fought at Cullinan, that Manala returned to the royal homestead at KwaMnyamana and buried his father, and that he then took the throne. Wikipedia’s article describes three battles (at MaSongololo, the Wilge River and the Olifants River). Another account, from the Gale Encyclopedia, says only that a succession struggle probably caused the split into the two groups, Ndzundza and Manala, and that the Manala were numerically smaller.
Where the Manala lived
The Manala are described as occupying Ezotshaneni, KoNonduna and Embilaneni, which the Gale Encyclopedia places in what are now the eastern suburbs of Pretoria. Their capital was KwaMnyamana. Around 1873 they settled on land provided by the Berlin Mission about 30 km north of Pretoria, at a place they named KoMjekejeke, known on maps as Wallmansthal.
Mzilikazi and the nineteenth century
When Mzilikazi’s Ndebele (amaKumalo) moved through the highveld in the 1820s, the Manala suffered badly. Wikipedia’s list of Manala rulers has Sibindi (1817 to 1826), Mvula (1826 to 1827) and Mgibe (1827 to 1832) each killed by Mzilikazi’s forces. The commission, by contrast, says Mgibe, “originally from aManala”, joined the Ndzundza after the attack, so the sources do not agree on his fate. Silamba (1832 to 1892) is credited with rebuilding the Manala, although Voortrekkers arrived north of the Vaal during his reign and much Manala land was lost. The Manala were not involved in the war of 1882 to 1883 that broke the Ndzundza.
Seniority and the 2008 determination
The senior house of the amaNdebele is a live dispute, so we record what is published and take no side. In its determination on the Ndzundza-Mabhoko paramountcy, the Commission on Traditional Leadership Disputes and Claims states that it had made a determination “that the kingship of amaNdebele as a whole resorts under the lineage of Manala-Mbhongo”, and that Ndzundza-Mabhoko is not a kingship under the Traditional Leadership and Governance Framework Act. Wikipedia reports the same outcome and adds that the present Ndzundza-Mabhoko claimant has contested it and lost several court cases. The commission also heard a dispute inside the Manala house, between Johannes Dlize Mabena and Mbulawa Enock Mabena (Makhosonke II), dismissed the claim, and held that the house of Mbhongo I is the rightful lineage to hold the kingship of the Manala and the amaNdebele as a whole; see our Mabena and Mbhongo pages. We have not read the commission’s separate determination on the Manala-Mbongo paramountcy itself, nor any court judgment.
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The commission’s genealogy for the Manala names Silamba’s successor as Buti, also known as Mbhedlengane, and Buti’s heir Nyumba as also known as Mabhena. Wikipedia’s list of Manala rulers uses spellings that look similar (Mdedlangeni, Mabhena II), but we have not confirmed that they are the same people.
Izithakazelo and totem
We have not found a published text of the Manala praises or a confirmed totem, so we are not printing either. If your family recites Manala praises, we would like to record them, with your permission and credited to you.
Sources and further reading
- South African History Online: Ndebele history
- Commission on Traditional Leadership Disputes and Claims: Determinations on the position of the paramount chiefs (the determination on the paramount chief of Ndzundza-Mabhoko, pp. 94 to 116)
- Gale Encyclopedia of Africa, via Everyculture: Ndebele history and cultural relations
- Wikipedia: Southern Ndebele people (the list of Manala rulers, drawn from the sources it cites)
The sources differ on dates and numbers, as noted above. Before relying on a detail, check it against the commission’s determination and a Ndebele elder or historian.
Do you belong to the Manala? Tell us your izithakazelo, your totem, where your family lives and what elders say about the house’s history, and we will add it, credited to you. Share what you know or WhatsApp 065 138 8213.